We are a group of politically diverse parents and community members who support Glendale’s public schools, which serve 25,000 students and employ nearly 3,000 teachers and staff.
For the past two election cycles, we have worked to protect our community from extremists and candidates who failed to earn the GTA’s (Glendale Teachers Association) endorsement. We trust the expertise and extensive candidate vetting of the GTA, which its more than 1,200 members are teachers who work with our children every single day.
All five Glendale Unified School District Board of Education members now serving won their elections because they pledged to support educators with fair contracts. They also pledged to go through budgets carefully to prioritize spending on people and programs that are effective and that will support the long-term success of our district.
For at least the past eight years, every single budget discussion has forecast doom and gloom, using threats of cuts to maintain an inadequate status quo. In the past four years, contract negotiations have been frustratingly slow. Moving forward, we will not be able to support candidates who do not keep their promises to support the backbone of our district: the teachers who work in our schools.
The promise of public education has always been to support all children by giving each child the specific tools and support that child needs to succeed. Yet, for decades, Glendale’s parents have been filling in the gaps in staffing and materials by endless fundraising through foundations, PTAs, and direct donations to our children’s classrooms. Those of us who can afford it supplement our children’s learning with private enrichment, private tutoring, and private therapy. This has only exacerbated the inequity between schools and student learning outcomes.
The Glendale Unified community, which includes teachers, parents, and administration, must look closely at revenue sources, contracts, and spending to ensure every dollar is spent improving our children’s experiences in GUSD, which includes prioritizing competitive wages and benefits for our educators.
As we celebrate another Teacher Appreciation Week with treats and cards, we call on GUSD administrators to appreciate teachers in a meaningful, professional way — with a fair contract.
Joann Lo
Angela Givant
Paul Givant
Jessica Hollander
Grey James
Marisa Gallo
Lauri Evans Deason
Thomas Deason
Lily Kate Deason
Julia Figueira McDonough
Amy Loeliger
Julie Livesey
Rachel & Dallas Davidson
Karin Wang
Sarah King
Allison Bennett
Amanda Moghaddam
Sarah Armstrong
Monica Ko
April
Amy DiNoble
Molly Zielenbach
Jason Beeber
Sarah Velasquez
Jennifer Ho
Stephanie Arm
Sherianne McClenahan
Jade Brookbank
Anne Gregory
Ian Kezsbom
Johanna Maugg Kousoulas
Karineh
Banafsheh Sultan
Elisabeth DiCarlo and Josh DiCarlo
Miriam Allcroft
Christie Asselin
Beth B.
John B.
Chris Shellen
Jane O’Neill
Kristine Kimmel
Susan Smith
Sarah Goodwin
Elizabeth Anderson
Emily Van Voorhis
Rob O’Neill
Jessica Stamm
Michelle Wilby
Aaden Wilby
Bee Jensen
Penelope Oberhardt, LCSW
Sol Davis
Blaine Oberhardt
Deborah Manson
Jenna Greene
Tiffany Marcy
Dasha Flynn
Amy Kaufman
Sevana
Emily Greene
Vanessa Williford
Paul Rickey
Eugenia Chong
Eric Cooney
Emily Rice
Jeff Rice
Lisa Avery
Jean Tiller
Vania Bessos
Alan Harris
Stephanie Kermer Watkins
Adrianne Viar
Christy Taylor
Michael Moghaddam
Nicole Van Andel
Barbara Zufelt
Johanna Shapiro
Letizia Dorigo
Elenia Tinelli
Carmen Capone
Joy
Arianna
Payel MacKie-Mason
Monica Campagna
Carly Heath
Sarah Foster
Margaret Frey
Brian MacKie-Mason
Jessica Vo
Catherine Coble
Rebecca Patel
Jenny Ruiz
Vanessa Ynda
Tonia Tse
Seth Anicich
Suzanne Lang
Kara Sergile
Glendale Parents for Public Schools
First published in the May 4 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
